During the weeks leading up to Easter many Christians engage in the spiritual discipline of fasting. Fasting is the voluntary abstinence from food or drink for a period of time in order to concentrate the mind on spiritual matters. Fasting is also practiced in many non-Christian religious traditions. A survey of American waistlines reveals that we don’t do over much fasting. The public obsession with dieting schemes suggests we have reasons in addition to spirituality that ought to encourage more willingness to push away from the table at times. We know we ought to cultivate more disciplined lives. A few more holy habits could certainly crowd out at least some of our bad habits and make our lives better.

     Rocio Ramirez, the Director of Christian Education at Mount Olivet United Methodist Church in Concord, was engaging the children last Sunday in a lively conversation about fasting. The children were animated in their comments about some things they might give up for Lent. One mentioned giving up video games. Another was ready to cut back on television viewing. One child suggested cutting back on eating too much candy. Ms. Ramirez suggested that the children could increase some good things to replace those things from which they were abstaining. They could pray more. They could ask their parents and grandparents to read the Bible with them more, etc. One little boy piped up with a question that brought chuckles to the congregation. “Would it be okay to eat candy while reading the Bible?”

     I love the children’s moments when the children gather around a teacher or pastor to converse about how to negotiate around the mud puddles on the playground of life. As a pastor, those children’s moments have been a favorite time for me. I like to ask a question and see where the children, by their responses, take us. I asked the children once to imagine that I was an animal. One little girl said I reminded her of a Teddy bear. Another thought I was like a dog. One little tyke, overwhelmed by my hulking body, pronounced me a whale. I would not have been able to make a convincing case to him for fasting. Still, I’m in favor of fasting or anything else that contributes to deepening a person’s faith.

     Mark me down as mostly interested in spiritual disciplines of self-expression instead of self-denial. For example, isn’t it a great idea for a person of faith to do a random act of kindness every day? Or how would the world be changed if every person of faith would say a good word for God every day? I wish everyone who loves God would look every day for a sign of God in some other person and let that person know it.

     Lots of people, young and old, have embraced “body art” or tattoos as ways of expressing their individuality. They have permanent messages inked on their bodies. I’ve never been tempted to do that but I think it would be great for everyone to think of themselves as persons whose personalities are like tattoos with invisible ink. Their behavior would be visible messages about their core values and essential spirituality. I often think of people I meet and get to know, as expressions of particular Biblical images. For instance, John exemplifies peacemaking. Sara reminds me of the widow who had only a tiny coin—a mite--but she gave it to God. Then there are Tim, the prodigal son and Sandy, the prodigal daughter—Bernard and Jane are welcoming parents. I know lots of good Samaritans. It’s a pleasure to tell them what I see in them.

     This is a good season to lay aside things that drag us down, depress and demoralize us. It is good to focus on the things that give us hope and joy.

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